After farmer denied entry to Bengaluru mall, 2 startup founders say they were once barred from restaurant for wearing 'slippers'

Founder and CEO of Frido Ganesh Sonawane, and Cofounder of Ather, Swapnil said in a post that they were denied entry into a restaurant as they were wearing slippers instead of shoes.

Just days after a farmer was allegedly denied entry to Bengaluru's GT World Mall on Magadi Main Road for wearing "panche" (traditional clothing), a duo has shared a similar experience they had at a restaurant in the city.

Founder and CEO of Frido Ganesh Sonawane, and Co-founder of Ather Swapnil Jain said in a post that they were denied entry into a restaurant as they were wearing slippers instead of shoes.

Sharing the story on social media platform X, Sonawane wrote, "True story: Swapnil, Ather Cofounder and I had once gone to a restaurant in Bengaluru and denied entry because of wearing slippers instead of shoes."

Many netizens shared their opinions under the post and several said that they too had had such experiences.

"During my first time in the city, I faced a similar situation in MG Road Social," commented a user.

Another wrote, "A politician in the same clothing is ok though gotta love them double standards."

"I don’t see a parallel here. Panche/Dhoti is a formal Indian Attire. A classist mindset at work when the mall denied entry and can’t be justified. Slippers aren’t formal in any culture and the restaurant ought to put it upfront if it has a dress code," commented a third.

"Have faced the same in Bangalore. Denied entry due to not wearing a shoe," commented a fourth.

"If a restaurant is upfront of their dress code, it should be okay. Dress code isn’t discrimination. They are not prescribing brands and should be highly respectful of customers even if they deny entry. This is kind of acceptable in finest restaurants worldwide," commented a fifth.

Two days after the elderly farmer was denied entry to the mall in Bengaluru, Kempapura Agrahara police registered a case against the owner and the security guard of the mall.

The case was lodged under Section 126(2) (punishment of wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). 

As soon as the news spread, pro-Kannada and farmers' outfits were outraged and demanded an apology from the mall authorities. Activists arrived at the entrance of the mall and staged a protest. Some of them wore 'panches' as a sign of protest. The mall authorities later apologised.

(With DHNS inputs)